Dating advice of the week: Single girlfriends, do not fall for Mr. Amuse-Bouche. Go for the man who roasts you a chicken and shucks you a dozen oysters.

New York Daily News: Full Plate

“My wife is about to pop. We really need this money.”

Boys are so honest. Next, he’ll be telling the country my dress size.

Grab a blue-and-white striped apron and leave the stilettos at home! (Fine, wear the Jimmy’s to class and then change into Pumas…) Starting in October, at the Institute of Culinary Education, Jamie and I will be spending Friday nights with y’all, teaching you how to put the wedding pots and pans to good use, how to stir up the best cocktail in town (and it won’t cost you $15 a pop) and how to pull together the perfect dinner party menu.

Sign up now! I might even bring pictures of Baby Parker to class…

Gourmet Breakfast in Bed
Friday, October 2, 6-10:30 PM

Breakfast in bed is one of the most luxurious indulgences to offer your partner at the end of a long week. This menu features a selection of gourmet breakfast dishes that will make him or her feel even more special, especially since they come with champagne. You will make Sherry Shrimp and Grits; Blueberry Pancakes; Buttermilk and Raspberry Muffins; Baked Apples with Crème Fraîche; Breakfast Burritos; Bacon and Sweet Potato Quiche; Lump Crabmeat Omelets; and Champagne Bar.
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Casual Entertaining (Cooking for the Big Game)
Friday, October 23, 6-10:30 PM

What better way to spend a weekend afternoon than to invite some friends over to cheer on your favorite sports team? Chips and dips will not do, though; instead, serve them sophisticated dishes that can be made ahead, so as to not tear you away from the action, such as Mini Crab Cakes; Cheddar and Brown Ale Dip with Ham and Pumpernickel Skewers; Popcorn Trio (Rosemary-Parmesan, Smoked Paprika-Cheddar, Roasted Garlic); Turkey Chili; Buttermilk Chicken Wings; Pork and Chipotle Sliders; Bourbon Milkshakes; and Spiced Pecans.
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First Dinner Party
Friday, November 13, 6-10:30 PM

Hosting your first dinner party as a couple is the opportunity to show off both your entertaining and your cooking skills, with the goal to impress your guests and have a good time. This menu will guarantee that you’ll never be short on visitors, as you prepare Tuna Tartare; Pear, Celery, and Radish Salad; Halibut with Tomato Compote and Smoky Eggplant Puree; Brined Pork Loin with Tender Mustard Greens and Brown Butter-Balsamic Autumn Vegetable Puree; Cinnamon Spice Tart with Carrot Mousse; and Pomegranate Cocktail.
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Cocktail Party
Friday, December 11, 6-10:30 PM

Nibbles and drinks—what better way to spend an evening with friends? Entertain them with a menu that will make them linger long past the cocktail hour, with dishes such as Butterbean Crostini; Grilled Butternut Squash and Pesto; Oven Arancini; Merguez Meatballs with Cucumber Dip; Vodka-“Cured” Salmon with Arugula and Pomegranate; Manchego and Quince Sandwiches; White Chocolate Mousse with Dark Rum Cherries; Ginger Mule; and Raspberry Gin Soda.
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We’re back from the beach and back from our gig at Studio B! I like to think of auburn hair dynamo Colleen Duffley’s Studio B as the 21st century’s Parisian salon (think: stunning location, creative minds, lots of wine, a patio and a table top meant for dancing in the moonlight). Our night at the Studio was all about culinary enlightenment by way of bourbon, July-perfect produce (courtesy of my cousin, Steven’s, organic garden) and cool, salty breezes off the Gulf.

Our Menu

Ratatouille Crostini
Grilled Snapper with Green Tomatoes and Pecan Sauce
Corn and Andouille Salad with Charred Scallion Vinaigrette
Summer Berry Cornmeal Cobbler
Bourbon and Cucumber Cocktail
 

We had such a fabulous time, we’re returning in the fall for another class with another focus…

(By day or at night, the Studio is GORGEOUS!)

My shrimp and orzo salad is one of those cool, simple dishes destined for a day at the pool or an afternoon at the beach. Because I’m from the Gulf Coast (and vacationing at the beach right-this-very-minute), I’m always looking for any excuse to cook up our gorgeous, mild-yet-sweet Gulf shrimp. I toss them with every woman’s favorite salad cheese-feta-and add color with easy-to-chop or defrost ingredients like bell pepper and little French peas. Everything comes together with the simplest of vinaigrettes–lemon juice and olive oil.

(My niece, Shelby, and baby Parker enjoying pool time over the weekend in their matching ‘kinis.)

Shrimp & Orzo Salad

The cool watermelon and fresh, juicy mozzarella are a great foil for the spicy Italian arugula and the lime vinaigrette seasoned with juuuust enough chili.

Light, fresh and different–this is something you’ll serve up to your family or to beach house friends and everyone will think, “Now, why didn’t I come up with that?”

Of course, fruit in a salad is nothing new–there’s always been the classic pear and blue cheese (or strawberry and blue cheese with pecans over baby spinach, for that matter). There’s something about the savory and the sweet–and the bite of good-for-you lettuces–that make the combo irresistible.

Pair this salad with any protein–steak, chicken or fish–that you or your hubby have pulled hot off the grill. That’s an easy ON THE HIP dinner.

Watermelon Salad Recipe

I’m tiptoe-ing back into the kitchen after three months away…

Even though hubby is a chef and cooked up lots of delicious food for me and the brigade of visiting family and friends, I missed my food, my recipes. Getting back into the kitchen, slow cooking shortribs and ragus, composing beautiful summer salads would relax me, I thought. Clearly, the post-pregnancy hormones were clouding my brain…

New ‘Mommyhood’ and cooking with Parker means I have no time, no hands and no patience. Standing at the stove for hours–with multiple pans going at once–is a thing of the past. Complicated recipes are saved for special occasions. I’ll shop in one grocery store, shove the ingredients under her stroller and hit the cash register before she begins wailing, ready for her next feeding.

Yep, Ms. Gourmet is going a little bit Rachel Ray…

On the Hip Recipes are for my new life and my new way of cooking. The whole point is that the recipes are so easy, they can be made with a baby or toddler on your hip. And the dishes only require as many ingredients as you can fit beneath your Uppa Baby or MacLaren.

My Roasted Cherry Tomato Rigatoni leaves a ton of time to play with Parker, feed her, do her mountain of laundry or sit on the couch with a big fat glass of Nero d’Avola. (Guess which activity I chose?) The onions and tomato almost become a confit (the veggies taking on a jam-like quality) because they’re cooked down, or reduced, to their sweet essence. Finished off with pecorino romano, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, this pasta looks and tastes like it took hours. Sshhhhh…

Roasted Cherry Tomato Rigatoni 

But, for now, she’s the peach on our West Village block. Our little sack of sugar… Our chance to experience something–someone– that only requires kisses and food and sleep.

I want to write more but her little cheeks call. A little nibble and I’ll be back. I’ve actually been tip toe-ing back toward the stove, coming up with fast, delish recipes for all you harried, crazed, desperately-in-need-of-half-a-bottle-of-pinot-grigio moms. Slow- roasted cherry tomato rigatoni is on the menu. But I can’t do anything until after my bite of peach pie.

The Italian waiters were BIG fans of Parker’s ensemble.